I got a new blender finally! And a good deal on Black Friday!
And based on a thread here in the discuss cooking forum
(link below includes video testing), I chose a Kitchenaid.
Thankyou NoodleIncident

Now I'm having a "Blessing of the Blender" Party for the fam! (get it? play on words "Blessing of the Hounds" in Hunt Country and England)
and could use ideas for what to blend and serve?
Maybe Margaritas and Mexican food?

I've waited a long time for a good blender...i hope this is it! I'll report back with my critique.

glad i could help! its def a good blender, and i think you will really like it....it may not be a blendtec or vitamix, but its certainly better than most any other blender in that price range, and it will definitely destroy ice (easily)

what kind of deal did you get?

now that ive had mine a few months, i can add a few more comments:the most common thing we make is frozen smoothies, but i also make soups, sauces and dressings....as long as you have sufficient liquid, the blender will tackle most jobs easily, without the need for shaking or stirring....occasionally, when i do need to shake or stir, i discover that the mixture is way thicker than i thought, and just needs more juice to get things flowing....i often use the ice crush feature to get things going, and then finish with the other normal speeds...the smoothies i get from this thing are noticeably smoother than smoothies ive made in other machines...ive gotten in the habit of holding the carafe on the base (by pushing down on the top) when blending - otherwise, you get a little bit of vibration - not sure if the vibration will damage the unit or not, but i prefer to stop it

also, soon after getting mine, i starting to get that "overheating" smell, that you usually get from a cheap blender that is about to die....it hadnt affected performance, but i gave KA a call to see if it is normal and they sent me a brand new without me even asking for one.....ive also noticed that the new one sort of has that smell, but ive been using it anyway with no ill effects....if for some reason it does become a problem, i know KA has good customer service and will take care of it

overall, im very happy....its a solid blender that works really well and has good customer service to back it up....hope you enjoy yours....what color did you get?

William Sonoma has the same blender for $159 but I got mine on sale for $69 at Macy's. Target has the same one for their regular price of $99. I have noticed that there are different models but I don't know the difference.

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. My kitchen is for dancing. Bring me sunshine in a cup~emily dickinson. Knowledge is knowing a tomato is a fruit. Wisdom is not putting it in a fruit salad.